The Journey's End
by Luckycookie
Summary: Sequel to Dreams do come true. A year passed since Xemnas' defeat, and Ria, Roxas and Axel travel to Hollow Bastion to visit the former Nobodies, recieving one surprise after another. But in these cheery times, Ria knows her journey is slowly ending.
1. Chapter 1

**Me: Hi again. It is time for the sequel I have been itching to write. ****Enjoy and please review.  
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**Chapter One: **Ice cream, agreements and disagreements.**  
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Normal POV

"Hey guys, wait up!" Pence panted, crouching down slightly with his hands on his knees to recover. He stood in the middle of the sandlot, drenched in the usual, always present, twilight that hung over the peaceful town.

Pence was in a messy state. His blue headband with the grey lining held most of his hair up, but a few thick, spiky black bangs escaped and now hung loosely in his eyes. His chubby face was red and petulant. He was last again which meant, it was his turn to buy the ice cream for the gang. Again.

In the year that had passed since Ria and Roxas' return to the town, Pence had barely changed. He only grew a little and was still the chubby member in the gang. He still wore the same red 'Dog street' jersey and the white shirt with the blue trousers and the white shoes.

After a few moments of recovery, he stood up straight and peered into the direction of the Tram common. Then he nodded to himself and ran through the square opening in between two houses where the cool shade enveloped him. He was so caught up in running that he ran blindly into someone

"Watch where you're going!" The person snarled in an angry tone. Pence took a few steps back and looked up with an anxious expression. Axel stood in front of him, the snarl curved into his face.

The radiant-red haired lad's green eyes softened as he recognized Pence.

"Hey Pence, sorry for my previous outburst." He greeted with a lopsided grin. Pence sighed in relieve but he did not loosen up.

"Hey Axel, I can't talk now, got to run!"

Axel relaxed his shoulders and studied Pence for a moment.

Axel did not change much either. He still had the same red hair and eyes. He was still tall and slender. And his personality was still like fire. His skin was slightly tanned and toned.

One thing that _had _changed was his clothing. He had abandoned his old outfit and now wore a high-collared, sleeveless white shirt with a zipper that reached his sternum and baggy, black pants. The shoes he wore where a dark shade of grey and a wrist band-the same red colour of his hair-clung onto his left wrist.

After a short, thoughtful silence, Axel scratched his forehead and asked:

"What are you guys up to anyway?"

"We're going to the clock-tower today to celebrate the first week of summer vacation with sea-salt ice cream." Pence replied.

"Sounds nice." Axel said. He sounded distant, lost in a memory. Pence studied him closely.

"You wanne come along?" Pence asked, being the friendly boy he was.

Axel shook his head, chuckling.

"Nah, wouldn't be my cup of tea."

"Are you sure?" Pence asked uncertainly. Axel nodded, confirming his previous statement.

Pence shrugged, then excused himself and trotted off reluctantly. He felt bad for leaving Axel behind. Axel had become a great friend to the gang and he brought a bonus to them; with Axel around, Seifer never insulted or approached the gang.

Axel watched Pence disappear around a corner. Then he smiled sadly to himself and uttered:

"At least those memories don't hurt Roxas." He turned around and walked off, being covered in solemn twilight.

(======================)

"Geez Pence, I've seen turtles walk faster than you run!" Hayner complained furiously while leaning against the dark orange wall off a small circular building.

Pence had just arrived, panting, his forehead covered in a film of sweat. He doubled over.

The gang were waiting at the sweet shop in the Tram Forum. Numerous orange buildings, similar to the one they were waiting at, were sprinkled all over the area. A tram line ran through the area. The area was enclosed by tall, four-storey houses, painted in all kinds of colours from dull shades of purple to light shades of brown and orange.

"Leave him alone Hayner, I could say the same for you when it comes to school projects." Olette chided softly while patting Pence on the back. Roxas stood beside Olette, trying to hide an amused smile and Ria stood opposite of Hayner, smiling silently.

None of them had changed much, except Ria. They had grown a little, but it was barely noticeable. They wore the same clothes and their personalities were also the same.

Ria's blonde hair had grown very long and was now tied up in a pony-tail. Some shorter bits hung over her shoulder while the rest flowed neatly down her back to the end of her rip-cage. A side-fringe covered most of her forehead. She wore an azure blue tank top with a vertical strip of indigo cutting through the centre. A zipper was situated in the centre of the indigo strip. She also wore baggy black trousers and dark grey shoes. A black-white checked arm band clung to her left arm and her right wrist and hand was bandaged up to her knuckles. She had struck a wall while engrossed in one of her anger phases and sprained her wrist.

Hayner and Olette argued some more and the Shop keeper in the little opening cleared her throat to attain the youngsters' attention.

"Do you kids want to buy some ice cream, or not?" The old lady croaked whose lazy hazel eyes that had trouble staying open. Hayner gestured at Pence with a perverse smile.

"Pay up Pence."

Pence reached into his pocket, sighing, defeated, but before he could reach his money, Ria stepped forward and gave the lady a sum of her own money, ordering five portions of sea-salt ice cream. She was tired of having Pence buy ice cream for them. He always came last in their races. It wasn't fair.

The lady gave Ria the pastel blue ice cream with an approving smile.

"Now that is how a mature person your age should act." Was the last thing the lady said before Ria handed them each their ice cream and they set off to the clock tower, this time in a relaxed manner.

Hayner said nothing about Ria's act, but Pence thanked her, pleased that his pockets weren't empty today.

(======================)

A cool breeze brushed against Ria's face, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

The gang sat on top of the clock tower, savouring the sea-salt ice cream while gazing at the setting sun. The rest of the town lay far beneath them like a great sea of warm colours. The hills that surrounded the town where covered in a radiant lime green colour that contrasted strongly with the duller, dark shades of orange, purple and red that made up the sky.

Behind them, the clock tower continued up a bit further until the roof appeared with a giant bell hanging on either side.

Hayner turned to his friends and, with a wide grin, lifted his ice cream up into the air.

"Here's to a great summer vacation, full of new interesting adventures!"

"Yeah!" They all chorused and laughed, amused. Then the others lifted their ice cream and they tipped them together.

Hayner returned to his seat and once again they sat in silence, gazing at the setting sun. They did not notice the war that raged on in Ria's heart. She knew that she had to return home soon, but she wanted nothing more than to stay in Twilight Town and grow up around Hayner, Pence, Olette and Roxas. She had never planned to stay a whole year after she prevented Xemnas from destroying the worlds, and the longer she did stay, the more pain she would cause her parents in the other universe.

She decided to shrug off the thought and enjoy the day, or rather, what was left of it.

"Hey guys, what are your plans for the next few weeks?" Ria turned to them, her ice cream stick sticking out of her mouth.

"Well," Hayner started. He thought about it for a moment, and then placed his ice cream stick on his lap with his signature grin on his face. "Sora wanted to come over next week to see how things are goin'."

"Do you have anything planned for this week?"

Hayner glanced at Pence, Roxas and Olette. They shook their heads.

"No." He answered casually and averted his gaze to stare at the distant hills.

Ria seemed pleased. She clasped her hands together and smiled.

"Great! I was planning to visit Hollow Bastion on Tuesday and stay there for three or four days to see how the former Nobodies are getting on. Would that be okay?" Ria finished. She smiled, hopeful.

Hayner shrugged his shoulders and remained silent.

"It's what you want Ria. We can't hold you in place. Anyway, it sounds like a good idea to look at the fruits of your work." Olette stated, gazing at the sun. She then let go of the piece of wood in her mouth and grinned broadly at Ria.

"Yes, you should go examine the fruits of your work." She said a second time, clasping her hands together.

"Do you want to come?" Ria addressed them all.

"No thanks." Hayner answered, avoiding eye contact. He did want to accompany Ria, but the side of his heart that wanted to stay in Twilight Town was stronger.

"I don't feel like I want to, but thanks for asking Ria." Pence said, licking every tiny bit of ice cream of its stick.

Olette thought about it for a moment and then shook her head.

"Sorry, but I have to keep these two in check." She answered and gestured to Hayner and Pence.

Ria couldn't help but feel disappointed, but she hid it from them. Her eyes turned to Roxas, almost certain he would agree.

"Um . . . I'm coming. I want to see the look on Larxene's face when she sees you, Ria . . . And I bet Axel wants to come too." Roxas answered, silently laughing at Larxene. Ria sighed, relieved.

"Okay, then we'll leave on Tuesday and hopefully return on Saturday." Ria said in a matter-of-fact tone. They nodded and then it was silent again.

(======================)

Thirty minutes passed while they discussed different topics, but to the five friends, it felt like hours. They felt like they could sit and talk for all eternity.

"What are we gonna do when Sora comes over? He's gonna bring Kairi, Riku, Naminé and probably Xion. We won't all fit up here." Pence stated, concerned.

Hayner laughed, amused.

"We'll just sit at the Usual Spot and eat ice cream there. Then we'll just walk around town and maybe re-explore The Old Mansion." The blonde boy explained. He had it all worked out.

"I bet Roxas can't wait for Naminé." Ria teased with a mischievous smile and she elbowed Roxas. The boy blushed and averted his gaze. Ria chuckled.

It didn't take long for Roxas to find an, what he thought, equally embarrassing question.

"Well, I bet _you_ can't wait to see Zelix again." Roxas smirked, but the smirk was washed from his face when he realised that the question had no effect on Ria and he muttered something sulkily to himself.

Hayner, Pence and Olette chuckled among themselves. In the last few months, Ria and Roxas always teased each other with different things. It was nothing new.

"Lame, Roxas! You'll have to do much better than that." Ria said smugly.

Roxas kept quite, and gazed at the setting sun which was almost beneath the horizon.

"Hey Ria, will you need some help tomorrow? I could help you pack." Olette offered, her emerald eyes glinting. She had a soft smile on her lips.

"Um . . . That would be great. The Gummi ship needs a good clean-out and I think I need a new rucksack. Mine is destroyed."

"We can just buy a new one then. Shopping spree!" Olette cheered, clapping her hands.

Hayner frowned and drove his hand through his hair.

"What are we supposed to do tomorrow then?" He questioned and gestured to the other two boys. Ria found it strange that Hayner would ask such a questions. There were a lot of activities in Twilight Town. Olette was of the same opinion.

"Are you saying that you guys can only have fun when we are around?" Ria teased while gestured at her and Olette.

Hayner averted his gaze. Then he quietly said "Maybe." He didn't take his eyes of the setting sun.

Olette chuckled.

"There's no shame in admitting it, Hayner." She stated softly and patted Hayner's shoulder. Ria agreed, in a firmer tone.

"Hey guys, would you knock it off? Please?" Hayner asked, irritated. He turned to Olette.

"I don't have to comfort me, I'll be perfectly fine without you two." He growled.

Olette seemed a little taken back, and Ria was ready to defend her if Hayner snapped at her again.

"Hayner, you shouldn't always act so tough because I know, underneath that wall, is a soft core. If you showed it a little more often, people would treat you with more respect and maybe they'd stop teasing you." Olette chided with her arms crossed and her expression cold.

"She might be right, Hayner . . . You should open up a little." Roxas mused.

"Yeah, Hayner, it would be nice to see you're friendly side for once." Pence's eyes were a little anxious.

Hayner groaned.

"Don't. Get. Involved, or you'll see what happnens." Hayner spoke through his teeth. It was a threat, and Ria did not like it when friends threatened friends. It was wrong, even if it was just for fun, which wasn't the case. So she decided to put an end to it.

The girl stood up on the pavement, and looked Hayner in the eye.

"It is wrong to threaten your friends. They just want the best for you and don't mean you any harm. They're free to do what they want." Ria stated firmly, without doubt or any other emotion. Hayner seemed infuriated, but then gruned.

"What are you going to do about it?" He asked smugly.

'_I'll push you off this damn building, you over-confident idiot!'_

"Nothing. I'm going to sit back down, and let my words sink into your mind." And that was exactly what she did, fighting to resist the urge of doing what she thought of.

There was a long, awkward, silence between them. Olette completely agreed with Ria. Roxas and Pence thought about her words. They were afraid to even make a sound in case Hayner exploded. Tension was high.

(======================)

They sat in silence for at least another thirty minutes, not uttering a single word as various shades of blue began tinting wide areas in the sky that were out of the sun's reach.

For Pence, it was now too much. He stood up to break the silence.

"Wow, time really flew today!" Pence remarked as they others slowly began packing their rubbish.

"Yeah, I know." Roxas exclaimed, also trying to ease the tension. He helped Olette up and sprang into the little walkway between the tower building and the little wall, they sat on. Ria and Hayner didn't speak, but sullenly rendered their seats.

They carefully descended a long set of stairs that led to the ground of the tower, to the train station.

Once on the ground, they said their good-byes and went their separate ways. Ria walked silently alongside Roxas, content with what she had planned for the next few days. The war inside her had subdued completely. Roxas smiled at her once, softly. He was glad to have Ria. So they walked off together, holding hands like best friends did.

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**Me: This is the first chapter of the sequel. How was it? M****y apologies if it is a little boring. I might not update for a few weeks because I'm going abroad soon, and then there is preparation for the new school year. **


	2. Preperations

I'm really really really really really sorry (before you think 'Oh no, she's not gonna continue the story', read on!) about the whole not updating thing. I know that it's been almost a year, and trust me, it has pained me beyond reason, but the last school year has been very stressful. Now, I'm gonna work my butt of till the next chapter is up. Don't worry, I will not rest until my work is done!

And remember, do not review. I'm gonna replace this note with the chapter.

~Luckycookie~


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